HOUSTON - With less than a month before the start of the University of Houston basketball season, fans of both the men's and women's teams can catch their first glimpses of the Cougars during the Houston Hardwood Tipoff.

The event - which is free and open to the public - begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 1, inside the Athletics/Alumni Center. Fans can receive free food and free Houston Hardwood Tip-Off T-shirts while supplies last.

Student-athletes from the men's and women's teams will square off in a variety of competitions, including a 3-point shootout and a slam dunk contest.

Current UH students also will have multiple chances to win $10,000. Two students will have one chance each during the event to hit a half-court shot and walk away with the cash.

Men's head coach James Dickey and Women's head coach Todd Buchanan will introduce their teams and offer insights on both squads heading into the 2012-13 campaign.

SEASON TICKETS & PARKING
Men's and women's basketball season tickets are now available at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office. Men's general admission season tickets begin as low as $135, while reserved seating season tickets start as low as $195.

Families also will enjoy the men's Family Fun Plan. For only $299, families receive two adult and two youth general admission season tickets. Additional youth season tickets in the Family Fun Plan can be purchased for $75 each.

Women's season tickets can be purchased starting at only $75. These general admission season tickets are part of a Flex Plan. Fans can use one ticket per game, invite 16 friends to come out to a single game or any combination in between. Fans can also get closer to the action by purchasing season floor seats for only $200.

Fans can order their season tickets by calling 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or by visiting UHCougars.com and clicking the Tickets tab and following the appropriate links. For more information, fans can visit the Athletics Ticket Office or click here.

To secure parking spaces and to support student-athlete scholarships through Cougar Pride for the upcoming season, fans should contact Cougar Pride at 713-743-GOUH or email cougarpride@uh.edu. Fans also can visit UHCougars.com and click the Cougar Pride tab for more information or click here.

ABOUT THE MEN'S TEAM
Under the leadership of Dickey and his coaching staff, the Cougars signed one of the nation's elite recruiting classes. This highly heralded group is ranked among the country's top 25 classes by three national media organizations.

As the program prepares to move into the BIG EAST Conference for the 2013-14 season, these talented newcomers will play key roles in the Cougars' success in, arguably, the best basketball conference in the country.

With the addition of national recruit Danuel House, the Cougars will have three recent members of the ESPU 100. House joins sophomores and 2012 Conference USA All-Freshman Team members TaShawn Thomas and Joseph Young.

Thomas led the Cougars with 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game and added a team-high nine double-doubles during his inaugural season. Young returns as the Cougars' leading scorer with 11.3 points per game and ranked among the Conference USA individual leaders in 3-point field goals and 3-point field goal percentage.

The Cougars begin their schedule at 7 p.m., Nov. 6, when they play host to Concordia in their lone exhibition of the season. Houston opens the regular season at noon, Nov. 9, with both games inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

ABOUT THE WOMEN'S TEAM
The Cougars will once again have several new faces on the roster along with a very familiar one in senior point guard Porsche Landry.

Landry was primed for one of the greatest seasons in program history a year ago when she suffered a season-ending injury in just the third contest of the season. The Houston native, who was averaging 22.0 points per game at the time of the injury, was granted another year of eligibility and will look to lead a young but talented squad back to postseason play.

Two other starters from last season return in Mae Woods and Terran Alford, who tied the single-game rebounding record with 20 boards in just her third collegiate contest.

The Cougars also welcome transfers Marissa Ashton and Destini Texada to the mix for the 2012-13 season. Ashton, a 6-0 forward who started her career at Texas Tech, will look to make an immediate impact while Texada, another 6-0 forward, will become eligible in late December after transferring from Houston Baptist.

Houston welcomes eight other newcomers to the squad, including six high school standouts and two junior college stars. The Cougars' recruiting haul has received national recognition, placing No. 40 in ESPN HoopGurlz' final rankings, while Houston's early signing period class in November was tabbed the nation's 22nd best by Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.

After opening their season on Nov. 9 at Mississippi State, the Cougars meet their second straight Southeastern Conference opponent when they play host to Alabama at 7 p.m., Nov. 13, inside Hofheinz Pavilion.